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Tuesday, 31 July 2012

VARANASI: The United States of America will fund for the documentation of Balaji ghat, a historic landmark constructed in 18th century along the Ganga in Varanasi.

"I am especially pleased to note that, given the cultural and historical significance of Varanasi, the US state department, under US ambassadors' fund for cultural preservation programme, has approved a grant of over Rs 30 lakh ($56,000) to the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) for the documentation of the 18th century Balaji ghat on the Ganges riverfront in Varanasi," Nancy J Powell, US ambassador to India, said. The US diplomat also went on boat ride in the whole stretch of Ganga to watch and capture the glimpses of majestic ghats of Varanasi.

The US ambassadors' fund for cultural preservation provides financial support for to preserve cultural heritage across the world. The fund supports a wide range of projects such as restoration of historic buildings, assessment and conservation of museum collections, archaeological sites, documentation of vanishing traditional craft techniques, improved storage conditions for archives and manuscripts and documentation of indigenous languages. The local unit of INTACH is not aware of the US funding for the documentation of Balaji ghat. "We have no details about the project. The Delhi unit may have sent some proposal in this regard," president of Varanasi chapter of INTACH Kalyan Krishna said.

INTACH is the country's largest non-profit organization dedicated to conservation and preservation of India's natural, cultural, living, tangible and intangible heritage. It has been working on number of cultural heritage sites all over India, including Varanasi.

Balaji ghat has also found a place in the world monument watch list-2012 of the World Monuments Fund (WMF). According to a report of INTACH, the organisation nominated Balaji ghat, Varanasi on world monuments watch list-2012. The report says that it was constructed to serve pilgrims worshiping at the holy river. The collapse of the main building of Balaji ghat, few years back from the decay of wood, inadequate conservation and heritage protection was a big setback to the historic riverfront of Varanasi.

Considering its significance and condition, the building has now been declared 100 most endangered heritage sites of the world by World Monuments Fund, a New York-based organization.

Inclusion in the watch list will support a plan to restore the building for use as a cultural centre and help to continue an ancient tradition of pilgrimage and enlightenment. The Balaji ghat complex was originally a seven-storey building and follows a traditional architectural form with, a temple of Shri Balaji, garden, well, assembly hall, living areas and courtyards.

These are well-connected with stone staircases, forming a remarkable architecture ensemble. It was built in the combination of stone and wood. Use of wood and elements of decorations such as exquisitely carved wooden column, brackets, doorways and other decorative elements predominantly mark the style of Maratha and Peshwa architecture.

According to the WMF report, with assistance from American Express, WMF is supporting the restoration of the top three floors of the building as part of its adaptive reuse as a cultural center. The interior spaces will be refurbished and a program will be implemented to increase public awareness of Balaji ghat and establish its reuse as a cultural centre.

Some parts of 'Naubatkhana' of centuries-old Balaji temple, where late shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan used to sit for riyaz (practice), had collapsed in September and November 2009. Earlier, a major part of the temple had also collapsed in 1998 killing 10 women, who were sitting on the ghat.

AHMEDABAD: The Sardar Vallabhbhai Memorial Society by vandalizing and defacing Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's 400-year-old palace in Shahibaug in the name of renovation has only hurt Ahmedabad's chances of achieving world heritage city status. Mughal heritage forms an essential part of the city's 600 year history of Ahmedabad and the palace is one of the city's last surviving Mughal structures.

City's historians and conservation architects expressed unequivocal outrage over the insensitivity of the trust. Ironically, neither the state Archaeology department, Archealogical Survey of India (ASI) nor the latest heritage building inventory of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC)'s has the palace on its list of protected structures. The two-storeyed palace has a grand darbar hall, styled like a typical Mughal palace with adjacent octagonal rooms on each side. The gardens are also reminiscent of Mughal gardens in Delhi and Agra.

Architect and founder of CEPT university B V Doshi says," It does not matter if the palace is not among the country's protected buildings; it is still a heritage site. "Six years ago, we were involved in setting up the museum there. We did an extensive study of the palace and proposed a major conservation plan to the palace's identity. The gardens and waterbody which connects to Sabarmati were also considered in our study. But things didn't work out. The place should be treated as a protected site and this careless work be stopped immediately."

"There has to be a set of guildelines before anyone embarks on such 'renovation' activity. The minutest of details in architecture should be considered while framing those guidelines," says Manvita Baradi, architect-urban planner and convenor of Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Gujarat.

The construction continuing unabashedly, will lead to more historic loss with each passing day. "It is shameful. At a time when Ahmedabad is aiming for world prestige, how can such a horrible example be set? The renovation should follow the norms of preservation or be stopped immediately. Shah Jahan's palace is one of the highlights of our city. It tells the story of how a young prince started his architectural endeavors here and how he went on to build one of the most magnificent monuments in the world. What kind of sensibility makes these people blind to such amazing history?" says Umang Hutheesing, scion of one of the city's most well known families.

According to Hemang Desai, a heritage enthusiast, Gujarati architecture had so impressed the Mughals that the Gujarati forms find a prominent place in the architecture of Akbar's capital, Fatehpur Sikri as well as in Shah Jahan's palace.

Thursday, 26 July 2012

Babu/ReutersA woman dries
vermicelli in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, used to prepare “Sevai,” a specialty eaten
during Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, which began last Friday.
During this month Muslims fast during the daytime and enjoy festive meals with
family and friends at night.

Taj replica set to be unveiled in Bhopal

Press Trust of India / Bhopal July 19, 2012, 17:36

Enamoured with the dazzling beauty of the Taj Mahal, a city-based businessman has claimed to have built a miniature replica of the 17th century's marble mausoleum, using gold, silver and even diamonds, and is set to unveil it next month.

Local businessman Saiyed Hanif, who claims to have visited the Taj Mahal 200 times in the last 30 years and is completely captivated by its magnificence, says the smaller version of the Taj Mahal would be displayed to public next month.

"I was very much impressed by the Taj Mahal, which I visited for the first time around 30 years back," Hanif told reporters during a press conference here today.

"So far, I have visited the architectural marvel around 200 times. However, the idea of making a replica hit me only some time back," he said.
According to him, 400 kg silver, 10 kg gold and several diamonds, collectively worth Rs 15 crore, are being used to make the replica.

However, the businessman said that he plans to sell the replica for Rs 100 crore in the international market.

"A total of 34 craftsmen worked for 21,600 hours to make the replica. No machine has been used to create it. It is one-hundredth the size of the original structure," he said.

Hanif claimed that the replica would be a matter of pride not only for Bhopal, but also for the entire country.

Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had built this famous structure as the mausoleum for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It was built between 1632 and 1653 employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tripura's royal palaces to be turned into museums

Tripura’s historic royal palaces are being turned into museums “to showcase northeast India’s art, culture, history and ethnic diversity”. The museums would hopefully attract tourists and historians from around the world.

Tuesday, June 26th 2012, 05:20 AM

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Tripura's royal palaces, which were command hubs until in October 1949, are now being turned into museums to showcase northeast India's art, culture, history and ethnic diversity.

"Once beyond the reach of the people and an eyesore for the Communists, the palaces - Puran Habeli and Ujjayanta Palace - would not only be mere museums, these would be knowledge hubs and tourist hotspots for both Indians and foreigners," Tripura Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Anil Sarkar told IANS.

"The endangered art, culture and history of northeast India's tribals and non-tribals, and the ethnic diversity, archaeological and geological reserves of the region would be showcased and preserved in the two giant museums."

"The natural heritage of the mountainous northeastern region would also be conserved in these museums, being constructed at a cost of around $2.4 million," said Sarkar, also a renowned writer and poet.

The Puran Habeli museum, refurbished at a cost of $639,000, was inaugurated Monday by Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.

According to writer and historian Panna Lal Roy, the majestic Puran Habeli was constructed after the shifting of the princely state's capital from southern Tripura's Udaipur to Old Agartala.

"The Puran Habeli was used as royal residence and administrative center of the then-princely state of Tripura till 1838 until the capital shifted to its present location Agartala," said Roy, a writer of Tripura's royal era and subsequent history.

Ujjayanta Palace, which until last year housed the Tripura legislative assembly, was constructed by then Maharaja Radhakishore Manikya Bahadur in 1899-1901.

"To effectively rule the royal territory, which comprised parts of then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, the capital was shifted to the present location and Ujjayanta Palace became the command center of the royal administration," Roy told IANS.

At the end of several hundred years of rule by 184 kings, the princely state had merged with the Indian Union in October 1949.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said: "The two-story Ujjayanta Palace is being made a giant museum according to the agreement signed with the erstwhile separatist outfit, All Tripura Tribal Force (ATTF), in March 1993. This was decided earlier as per the pre-conditions of the ATTF."

Ujjayanta Palace is now being provided seismic retrofitting to prevent it from possible earthquake damage before making it a museum at a cost of $1.75 million.

Historian Mahadeb Chakraborty said: "The grandeur of Ujjayanta Palace provides a glimpse of amazing icons of art and architecture of the royal past. The proposed museum in the palace would be of attraction to visitors and historians coming to the state from across the world."

"The palace, which was built by British construction company Martin Burn with a bank loan arranged by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore is just one of the several landmarks that the Tripura government is planning to strengthen," said Chakraborty, who heads the planning committee of the proposed museum.

"Both the museums, when fully readied, would act as mediums to disseminate significant and ethnic values of the northeastern region to the wider world," he added.

Tribals, comprising more than 200 different tribes, constitute 27 percent of northeast India's 45.6 million population.

The currently ruling Left parties, specially the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), until 1949 had organized massive stirs against the erstwhile kings of Tripura, protesting their dynastic rule.

The recent Punjab and Haryana High Court order, banning of issuing fresh licences to builders, till they find an alternate source of water has come as a boon for us. Not only builders but residents too are mercilessly extracting groundwater resulting in depletion of the water table. The water crisis has become so serious that we are forced to buy water.

The Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has already banned groundwater extraction in the district. There is acute shortage of water and above that builders are indiscriminately using groundwater.

We are living in a city where water is becoming scarce day by day, and we don't follow any method or technique of storing rainwater and allow them to go waste. Builders should use rainwater-harvesting methods besides recycled sewage water for construction work.

If these methods are properly utilised for construction activities then we can have adequate drinking water. But it is unfortunate that the state government is not serious about implementing rainwater harvesting techniques or recycling of sewage waste.

If the state government accepts the proposal of INTACH, which it has been taking up for the last six years, then all water-related problems in the city can be solved forever. The proposal seeks revival of the Najafgarh Jheel (lake).

The lake lies between the borders of Haryana (Gurgaon district) and Delhi. If the government wants a permanent solution to this crisis then INTACH's proposal should be accepted.

CII in Madurai holds workshop for tourist guides

The Meenakshi temple had over 2,300 years of history behind it and even finds mention in Silappatikaram, one of the five Great Epics of Tamil literary tradition

A workshop for tourist guides was organised here on Friday by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Madurai Zone, in association with the Madurai chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

Addressing the 40-odd tourist guides and other stakeholders from the tourism sector, L. Ambai Manivanan, an assistant professor in the Department of Tamil, Government Arts College, Melur, said that Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, the crown jewel for tourism in Madurai, was probably the oldest temple in Tamil Nadu.

The Meenakshi temple had over 2,300 years of history behind it and even finds mention in Silappatikaram, one of the five Great Epics of Tamil literary tradition. In its initial years, the professor said that the temple was only made of sand as stone carving and construction came to Tamil Nadu only in the Seventh Century.

Some of the greatest contributions to the temple were made by King Thirumalai Nayak, widely considered as the most illustrious of the Madurai Nayak dynasty. The traditions instituted into the temple itinerary during the Nayak era continue till date.

Dr. Manivanan informed that different parts and ‘mandapams’ of the temple were constructed by various personalities whose statues could also be found in the temple besides those of characters from ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata.’

The four corridors surrounding the Golden Lotus Tank were constructed over a period of two decades by various persons. The tank was said to be the site of many historic and mythological events that were portrayed by statues located around it.

“If these facts were brought out by the tourist guides to foreign tourists, it would greatly increase the tourist’s inflow and boost the livelihood of tourist guides,” said Dr. Manivanan. Speaking earlier, Rukumini Thiagarajan, convenor of tourism panel, CII Madurai Zone, said that India was a land of contradictions with centuries of ancient history standing besides modernity. Tourist guides have to bridge these two for foreign tourists, she added.

On Jhelum banks, Kashmir gets gateway to heritage showcase

Lal Ded Memorial Cultural Center comes to life in Shaher-e-Khaas

MUKEET AKMALI

Srinagar, July 24: This heritage building on Jhelum banks, demolished a few years back got a new life Tuesday when its restored avatar was dedicated to the people in the form of a cultural center named after Valleys revered saintess: Lal Ded. With this, Lal Ded Memorial Cultural Center was thrown open for people by Minister for Tourism, Nawang Rigzin Jora. The building, which earlier housed a school, has been restored by the state chapter of INTACH, a prominent organization into heritage conservation in the country, in collaboration with state’s Tourism department. The colonial architecture building will be a “gateway to Kashmir’s art and cultural heritage”. “INTACH has done a great job in preserving the heritage site. Had the work to reconstruct the site been done by some government agency, it would not have been in the same shape as it is right now,” the Tourism Minister flanked by MOS Tourism and Home, Nasir Aslam Wani and MLA Habba Kadal Shamima Firdous, said while inaugurating the facility at Ganpatyar in Habba Kadal. The government top brass arrived at the venue in a motorboat. “I would like that INTACH should continue to look after the place as they know the cultural and historical value of the site,” Jora said adding “They (government departments) would have ruined it as you know the work culture in the government departments.”The INTACH Convener, Muhammad Saleem Beg said: “Lal Ded Memorial Cultural Center is a gateway to cultural heritage of Kashmir”. “Photographs, crafts, artifacts and objects representing spiritual and architectural facets and traditions of Kashmir have been showcased,” Beg said while pointing towards artifacts. The added attraction at the centre is life size photographs on Kashmir’s heritage by world famed landscape photographer Mukhtar Ahmad. Situated on the banks of Jhelum, the Lal Ded centre is expected to draw big number of visitors while its entrance from the riverside could be an added advantage. The Tourism Minister and the MOS Home minced now words to appreciate the work done by team INTACH including its architect Sameer Hamdani. The earlier building housed a school for 60 years. The school was founded by prominent poet Dina Nath Naadim who dedicated it in the memory of Lal Ded. Some three years back, however, the building was demolished. Later, the government seems to have realized the mistake and asked the INTACH people to restore it in collaboration with the Tourism department.

Examining Environmental Flows Critical for River Ecosystems in India

It’s no secret that in South Asia, dam building is on the rise. India alone has already constructed over 5,000 large dams with many more in the pipeline. The Himalayas have already been targeted by the Indian government, along with the governments of Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan, to construct hundreds of mega-dams on the many mountain rivers that serve as a lifeline for those living throughout South Asia.

The legendary Jog falls are a shadow of their former self after damming

(Photo: Dr. Latha Anantha)

Each and every dam that is constructed impacts the larger ecosystem supported by a river and its tributaries: the volume, timing, and quality of water flows is critical to sustaining freshwater habitat for plants and animals, and overall ecosystem health is fundamentally sustained through essential patterns of healthy river flows. When dams are planned and constructed, their design rarely speaks to the many intricacies of the ecosystems that are manipulated through the control of flows. Moreover, river-dependent communities rely on their knowledge of natural river flows to support their livelihoods, and dams threaten the harmony that exists between river communities and the environment.Environmental flows, or “e-flows,” is a concept that has developed to inform and support equitable and sustainable water management strategies by addressing the need to enhance a river’s natural flow regime to promote healthy ecosystems.

Last month, International Rivers co-organized a workshop on e-flows in Dehradun, India, along with The Himmotthan Society to address the many issues surrounding key questions of river health and management in India: "How do we view our rivers? Are they mere conduits to be exploited to meet different needs? Or do we value them for their ecosystem services and revere them for their spiritual significance?"

“Overview of environmental flows”: Dr. Ravi Chopra of the Peoples Science Institute, Dehradun, provided an overview of the history of river conservation and addressed the history and current state of environmental flows in India.

“Why, what and how of environmental flows”: Dr. Latha Anantha of the River Research Centre in Kerala gave a talk on declining flows in rivers, and pressed the importance of adequate instream flows for healthy river systems.

“Objective setting for environmental flows”: Parineeta Dandekar examined current methods of environmental flow assessment, and the complex issues surrounding how ‘management objectives’ are set for rivers.

“Environmental flows assessment for the upper Ganga”: Nitin Kaushal and Suresh Babu of WWF shared their experience of conducting an e-flows assessment of the upper Ganga by describing methods, offering recommendations, and highlighting lessons learned.

“Critique of cumulative impact assessment as done today”: Dr. Bharat Jhunjhunwala discussed cumulative impact assessments of biodiversity in the Alakananda and Bhagirathi basins conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India. Himanshu Thakkar of SANDRP further explored cumulative impacts by stressing the importance of impact assessments for entire river basins, rather than simply for individual dams.

Dr. Latha Anantha explains the necessity of adequate instream flows

Videos of all of the workshops can be viewed here, and presentations can be downloaded here.

The workshop concluded with the development of several action points centered on the need for participants and colleagues to actively engage in critiquing environmental impact assessments, and for further study and dialogue surrounding environmental flows. A six-day course on e-flows for teachers and practitioners of IWRM, environmental consultants, policy makers, NGOs and CBOs is currently being planned

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BY SHRI PRANAB MUKHERJEE ON HIS ASSUMPTION OF OFFICE AS PRESIDENT OF INDIA

YOUR EXCELLENCIES, FRIENDS AND FELLOW CITIZENS,

I AM DEEPLY MOVED BY THE HIGH HONOUR YOU HAVE ACCORDED TO ME. SUCH HONOUR EXALTS THE OCCUPANT OF THIS OFFICE, EVEN AS IT DEMANDS THAT HE RISES ABOVE PERSONAL OR PARTISAN INTERESTS IN THE SERVICE OF THE NATIONAL GOOD.THE PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THIS OFFICE IS TO FUNCTION AS THE GUARDIAN OF OUR CONSTITUTION. I WILL STRIVE, AS I SAID ON OATH, TO PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION NOT JUST IN WORD BUT ALSO IN SPIRIT. WE ARE ALL, ACROSS THE DIVIDE OF PARTY AND REGION, PARTNERS AT THE ALTAR OF OUR MOTHERLAND. OUR FEDERAL CONSTITUTION EMBODIES THE IDEA OF MODERN INDIA: IT DEFINES NOT ONLY INDIA BUT ALSO MODERNITY. A MODERN NATION IS BUILT ON SOME BASIC FUNDAMENTALS: DEMOCRACY, OR EQUAL RIGHTS FOR EVERY CITIZEN; SECULARISM, OR EQUAL FREEDOM TO EVERY FAITH; EQUALITY OF EVERY REGION AND LANGUAGE; GENDER EQUALITY AND, PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, ECONOMIC EQUITY. FOR OUR DEVELOPMENT TO BE REAL THE POOREST OF OUR LAND MUST FEEL THAT THEY ARE PART OF THE NARRATIVE OF RISING INDIA.I HAVE SEEN VAST, PERHAPS UNBELIEVABLE, CHANGES DURING THE JOURNEY THAT HAS BROUGHT ME FROM THE FLICKER OF A LAMP IN A SMALL BENGAL VILLAGE TO THE CHANDELIERS OF DELHI. I WAS A BOY WHEN BENGAL WAS SAVAGED BY A FAMINE THAT KILLED MILLIONS; THE MISERY AND SORROW IS STILL NOT LOST ON ME. WE HAVE ACHIEVED MUCH IN THE FIELD OF AGRICULTURE, INDUSTRY AND SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE; BUT THAT IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT INDIA, LED BY THE COMING GENERATIONS, WILL CREATE IN THE DECADES AHEAD.

OUR NATIONAL MISSION MUST CONTINUE TO BE WHAT IT WAS WHEN THE GENERATION OF MAHATMA GANDHI, JAWAHARLAL NEHRU, SARDAR PATEL, RAJENDRA PRASAD, AMBEDKAR AND MAULANA AZAD OFFERED US A TRYST WITH DESTINY: TO ELIMINATE THE CURSE OF POVERTY, AND CREATE SUCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE YOUNG THAT THEY CAN TAKE OUR INDIA FORWARD BY QUANTUM LEAPS. THERE IS NO HUMILIATION MORE ABUSIVE THAN HUNGER. TRICKLE-DOWN THEORIES DO NOT ADDRESS THE LEGITIMATE ASPIRATIONS OF THE POOR. WE MUST LIFT THOSE AT THE BOTTOM SO THAT POVERTY IS ERASED FROM THE DICTIONARY OF MODERN INDIA.

WHAT HAS BROUGHT US THUS FAR, WILL TAKE US FURTHER AHEAD. INDIA'S TRUE STORY IS THE PARTNERSHIP OF THE PEOPLE. OUR WEALTH HAS BEEN CREATED BY FARMERS AND WORKERS, INDUSTRIALISTS AND SERVICE-PROVIDERS, SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS. OUR SOCIAL HARMONY IS THE SUBLIME CO-EXISTENCE OF TEMPLE, MOSQUE, CHURCH, GURUDWARA AND SYNAGOGUE; THEY ARE SYMBOLS OF OUR UNITY IN DIVERSITY.

PEACE IS THE FIRST INGREDIENT OF PROSPERITY. HISTORY HAS OFTEN BEEN WRITTEN IN THE RED OF BLOOD; BUT DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESS ARE THE LUMINOUS REWARDS OF A PEACE DIVIDEND, NOT A WAR TROPHY. THE TWO HALVES OF THE 20TH CENTURY TELL THEIR OWN STORY. EUROPE, AND INDEED THE WORLD, REINVENTED ITSELF AFTER THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND THE COLLAPSE OF COLONIZATION, LEADING TO THE RISE OF GREAT INSTITUTIONS LIKE THE UNITED NATIONS. LEADERS WHO ORDERED GREAT ARMIES INTO THE FIELD, AND THEN UNDERSTOOD THAT WAR WAS MORE BARBARISM THAN GLORY, TRANSFORMED THE WORLD BY CHANGING ITS MINDSET. GANDHIJI TAUGHT BY EXAMPLE, AND GAVE US THE SUPREME STRENGTH OF NON-VIOLENCE. INDIA'S PHILOSOPHY IS NOT AN ABSTRACT IN TEXTBOOKS. IT FLOURISHES IN THE DAY-TO-DAY LIFE OF OUR PEOPLE, WHO VALUE THE HUMANE ABOVE ALL ELSE. VIOLENCE IS EXTERNAL TO OUR NATURE; WHEN, AS HUMAN BEINGS, WE DO ERR, WE EXORCISE OUR SINS WITH PENITENCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

BUT THE VISIBLE REWARDS OF PEACE HAVE ALSO OBSCURED THE FACT THAT THE AGE OF WAR IS NOT OVER. WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A FOURTH WORLD WAR; THE THIRD WAS THE COLD WAR, BUT IT WAS VERY WARM IN ASIA, AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA TILL IT ENDED IN THE EARLY 1990S. THE WAR AGAINST TERRORISM IS THE FOURTH; AND IT IS A WORLD WAR BECAUSE IT CAN RAISE ITS EVIL HEAD ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. INDIA HAS BEEN ON THE FRONTLINES OF THIS WAR LONG BEFORE MANY OTHER RECOGNIZED ITS VICIOUS DEPTH OR POISONOUS CONSEQUENCES. I AM PROUD OF THE VALOUR AND CONVICTION AND STEELY DETERMINATION OF OUR ARMED FORCES AS THEY HAVE FOUGHT THIS MENACE ON OUR BORDERS; OF OUR BRAVE POLICE FORCES AS THEY HAVE MET THE ENEMY WITHIN; AND OF OUR PEOPLE, WHO HAVE DEFEATED THE TERRORIST TRAP BY REMAINING CALM IN THE FACE OF EXTRAORDINARY PROVOCATION. THE PEOPLE OF INDIA HAVE BEEN A BEACON OF MATURITY THROUGH THE TRAUMA OF WHIPLASH WOUNDS. THOSE WHO INSTIGATE VIOLENCE AND PERPETUATE HATRED NEED TO UNDERSTAND ONE TRUTH. FEW MINUTES OF PEACE WILL ACHIEVE FAR MORE THAN MANY YEARS OF WAR. INDIA IS CONTENT WITH ITSELF, AND DRIVEN BY THE WILL TO SIT ON THE HIGH TABLE OF PROSPERITY. IT WILL NOT BE DEFLECTED IN ITS MISSION BY NOXIOUS PRACTITIONERS OF TERROR.

AS INDIANS, WE MUST OF COURSE LEARN FROM THE PAST; BUT WE MUST REMAIN FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE. IN MY VIEW, EDUCATION IS THE ALCHEMY THAT CAN BRING INDIA ITS NEXT GOLDEN AGE. OUR OLDEST SCRIPTURES LAID THE FRAMEWORK OF SOCIETY AROUND THE PILLARS OF KNOWLEDGE; OUR CHALLENGE IS TO CONVERT KNOWLEDGE INTO A DEMOCRATIC FORCE BY TAKING IT INTO EVERY CORNER OF OUR COUNTRY. OUR MOTTO IS UNAMBIGUOUS: ALL FOR KNOWLEDGE, AND KNOWLEDGE FOR ALL.THE WEIGHT OF OFFICE SOMETIMES BECOMES A BURDEN ON DREAMS. THE NEWS IS NOT ALWAYS CHEERFUL. CORRUPTION IS AN EVIL THAT CAN DEPRESS THE NATION'S MOOD AND SAP ITS PROGRESS. WE CANNOT ALLOW OUR PROGRESS TO BE HIJACKED BY THE GREED OF A FEW.

I ENVISAGE AN INDIA WHERE UNITY OF PURPOSE PROPELS THE COMMON GOOD; WHERE CENTRE AND STATE ARE DRIVEN BY THE SINGLE VISION OF GOOD GOVERNANCE; WHERE EVERY REVOLUTION IS GREEN; WHERE DEMOCRACY IS NOT MERELY THE RIGHT TO VOTE ONCE IN FIVE YEARS BUT TO SPEAK ALWAYS IN THE CITIZEN'S INTEREST; WHERE KNOWLEDGE BECOMES WISDOM; WHERE THE YOUNG POUR THEIR PHENOMENAL ENERGY AND TALENT INTO THE COLLECTIVE CAUSE. AS TYRANNY DWINDLES ACROSS THE WORLD; AS DEMOCRACY GETS FRESH LIFE IN REGIONS ONCE CONSIDERED INHOSPITABLE; INDIA BECOMES THE MODEL OF MODERNITY.AS SWAMI VIVEKANANDA IN HIS SOARING METAPHOR SAID, INDIA WILL BE RAISED, NOT WITH THE POWER OF FLESH BUT WITH THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT, NOT WITH THE FLAG OF DESTRUCTION, BUT WITH THE FLAG OF PEACE AND LOVE. BRING ALL THE FORCES OF GOOD TOGETHER. DO NOT CARE WHAT BE YOUR COLOUR-GREEN, BLUE OR RED, BUT MIX ALL THE COLOURS UP AND PRODUCE THAT INTENSE GLOW OF WHITE, THE COLOUR OF LOVE. OURS IS TO WORK, THE RESULTS WILL TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES.

THERE IS NO GREATER REWARD FOR A PUBLIC SERVANT THAN TO BE ELECTED THE FIRST CITIZEN OF OUR REPUBLIC.